Music interview – KOYO: ‘People can expect a relentless, sonic spectacle from start to finish’

KOYO release their new single Jettisoned this month.

Tom Newton

Published:17:16Sunday 08 April 2018

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Less than seven months have passed since KOYO launched their critically acclaimed debut album, and with festival dates at Download, Camden Rocks, Bliss Camp, Great Escape Festival and Live at Leeds upcoming this year, the band are heading around the UK with a series of exclusive free warm up shows.

The tour will begin in April coinciding with their new single Jettisoned, due to be released on 27th of the month.

Speaking with Huw Edwards guitarist and frontman of the band, I discussed the upcoming tour, the festival dates and the future of the band.

You played Leeds Festival on the BBC Introducing Stage last year, and less than a year later are playing Download Festival. What are you looking forward to playing at the festival, and what can people expect from a KOYO show?

Yes, things are moving very quickly. It’s exhilarating. Me and Jake (keyboards) used to go to Download every year as teenagers and last time we went I swore we wouldn’t go again until we were playing there, and here we are. So really it’s a dream come true. I can’t wait to experience it from the other side of the fence. People can expect a relentless, sonic spectacle from start to finish. Once we start playing you’re strapped in for the ride until we walk off stage. There’s no holding back.

The self-titled debut album KOYO, has been met with incredible critical acclaim. Were you surprised by the praise the album received?

Yeah, of course! We’re just incredibly grateful. To be honest, we wrote the album for ourselves. To think that other people dig it is just a huge bonus. It has left us hungry for more though. We’ve had our first taste of success and now we just want to go for gold.

The UK mini-tour will visit towns and cities up and down the country. Have you played some of these venues before and will these shows debut any new material?

We’ve played Soup Kitchen in Manchester and Brudenell at home in Leeds before, as for all the others it’ll be our first time. We’ve played all the cities before at least once but at different venues. Yes, we’ve already started working on our second album and one thing we definitely want to do is rotate some of those new songs o we can really knock them into shape.

The new single Jettisoned will be launched during this tour. It had its premiere on Steve Lamacqs BBC 6 Music show earlier this year. What was that like as an experience knowing a million people were tuned in?

I had no idea a million people were tuned in until afterwards! The producer came up to us and told me and my jaw just dropped! I think it was a good thing I didn’t know to be honest otherwise I probably would’ve been speechless for the entire interview. We couldn’t have wished for a better start.

The tour will begin on April 8 at Bristol, and will continue to Brighton, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and end in Leicester on April 18. www.koyoband.com